The Buccaneer Hotel on St. Croix. The hotel received between $1 million to $2 million from the Paycheck Protection Program. By. ZUMA Press/Alamy Stock
Last updated at 1:44 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.
After unrelenting pressure from key U.S. senators, the media and powerful interest groups, the Trump administration on Monday released the list of companies throughout America, including the U.S. territories, that received between $150,000 to $10 million from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), whose aim was to help companies keep their workers employed after the coronavirus pandemic brought the largest economy in the world to a near halt.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to data provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA), 170 companies fell in the $150,000 to $10 million category.
Among them were some of the territory's largest firms, including PSI Tire Supply, which received between $5 million to $10 million, according to the SBA data. PSI Tire Supply was the only firm based in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the aforementioned category, making it the largest recipient of PPP funds in the territory. PSI Tire Supply, is known is Vivot or Eleven in the USVI. According to the data, the funding was used to protect 493 employees. PSI Tire Supply received the funds through the Greater Nevada Credit Union.
Right after PSI Tire Supply was Viya. The communications firm received between $2 million to $5 million through Banco Popular, making it the second largest recipient of PPP funds. The funds were used to protect 253 employees, according to the data.
Among the entities were nonprofits, including churches and schools. Antilles School Inc. in St. Thomas received between $1 million to $2 million, according to the data. Good Hope Country Day on St. Croix received between $350,000 to $1 million. The Free Will Baptist Church in Sion Hill, St. Croix, received between $150,000 to $350,000, while the Diocese of the Virgin Islands, located in St. Thomas, was the recipient of funds in the $350,000 to $1 million category as well.
In media, the Virgin Islands Daily News, listed as Daily News Publishing Co., Inc., received between $350,000 to $1 million, and the St. Croix Avis, listed as Brodhurst Printery Inc., received between $150,000 to $350,000.
Newly formed The Strategy Group, whose owner was Governor Albert Bryan's campaign manager during the 2018 General Election, John Engerman, received between $350,000 to $1 million from the PPP program. Government-owned West Indian Company, called WICO, received between $350,000 to $1 million as well.
Relative to the hospitality industry — the hardest hit during the pandemic — the Buccaneer Hotel on St. Croix received between $1 million to $2 million; Emerald Beach Corp. between $350,000 to $1 million; Bolongo Bay Beach resort, listed as Harborside Corporation, received between $350,000 to $1 million.
The Consortium reported in April that luxury hotel Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas and an affiliate company that caters to upscale Caribbean travelers, took in more than $5.5 million from the federally backed funding intended for small businesses devastated by the COVID-19 crisis.
In April, Governor Albert Bryan said over 240 Virgin Islands businesses had received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program. On the list released Monday, however, are companies that received between $150,000 to $10 million. “I want to encourage all small businesses to please take advantage of this program,” Mr. Bryan said at the time.
Below, a list of the 170 companies that received between $150,000 to $10 million, each broken down in their respective funding categories:
$5 million to $10 million
- PSI Tire Supply, LLC
$2 million to $5 million
- Virgin Islands Telephone Corp. (Viya)
$1 million to $2 million
- Antilles School, Inc.
- Falken USVI LLC
- Frederiksted Health Care, Inc.
- Great Bay Condominium Owners Association, Inc.
- Jewelry Exchange, Inc.
- Kac 357 Inc
- Professional Design Builders, Inc.
- The Buccaneer Inc.
- VI Industrial Services, LLC
$350,000 to $1 million
- AAC-Air Ambulance Caribbean, Inc.
- Bohlke LLC
- Broadband VI LLC
- Comprehensive Orthopedics, Pllc
- Coral World (V.I.) Inc.
- Daily News Publishing Co., Inc.
- Demah Inc.
- Diocese of St. Thomas of the Virgin Islands, Inc.
- Dudley Newman Feuerzeig LLP
- Emerald Beach Corp
- GEC, LLC
- Gifft Hill School
- Global Engagement Support Services LLC
- Gold Coast Yachts Inc.
- Good Hope Country Day School Inc
- Great West Indies Tea Co., Ltd
- Harborside Corporation
- Island Services Group LLC
- Kazi Foods of Virgin Islands, Inc.
- Lee J. Rohn & Associates, LLC
- Lindsy Wagner LLC
- Lutheran Social Services of the VI, Inc.
- Marco St Croix Inc.
- Monraj VI Inc.
- Msi Building Supplies, Inc.
- On the Level, Inc.
- Ophtalmology Consuktants Pllc
- Petro Industrial Solutions LLC
- Plessen Healthcare, LLC
- School Busing Inc.
- St Thomas Radiology Associates LLC
- St. Thomas East End Medical Center Corporation
- Starfish Market, Inc.
- Strategy Group VI, LLC
- The West Indian Company Limited
- United Corporation
- VIGL Operations LLC
- Virgin Islands Montessori School
- Virgin Islands Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
- Virgin Islands Paving Inc
$150,000 to $350,000
- A-9 Trucking Enterprise, Inc.
- ABC Sales & Services Inc
- ABK, Inc.
- Acajous III, LLC
- Acute Alternative Medical Group LLC
- ADT Security Systems Virgin Islands, Inc.
- AHR Management Company LLC
- All in Investments, LLC
- All in the Family, LLC
- All Saints Cathedral School
- Antilles Gas Corporation
- Ballerina Inc.
- Bates Trucking and Trash Removal Inc
- Blue Bay Construction Inc.
- Boolchand's Ltd
- Brodhurst Printery Inc.
- Caribbean Associates Inc
- Caribbean Foodservice Inc.
- Caribbean Leasing and Eco Transportation LLC
- Caribbean Solar Company, LLC
- Centerline Car Rentals LLC
- Charms International Inc.
- Chitolie Trucking Service
- Clinical Laboratory, Inc.
- Community Medical Laboratory, Inc.
- Continuum Care Inc.
- Crg Holdings, LLC
- Daswani VI, Inc.
- Dental 360 PC
- Duanne W. Jones Dds, Inc.
- Dynamic Innovative Corporation
- Evole USVI LLC
- First Resort Painting, Inc.
- Four Grouper LLC
- Free Will Baptist Church, Inc.
- Gallow Point Management Company
- Gallows Bay Hardware Inc.
- Grade All Heavy Equipment Inc.
- H & M Holdings LLC
- H & W Construction Corporation
- Healthquest, LLC
- Hughes Electric, Inc.
- Impex Trading International, Inc.
- International Rental & Leasing Corp.
- Island Roads Corporation
- Island Wiring, LLC
- Jackson Cleaning Service LLC
- John K Dema PC
- JSG Consultants
- Just Complete Security Services, LLC
- JZE Hospitality, LLC
- Kay's Fine Jewelry of St. Thomas
- Kazi Management St. Croix LLC
- Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC
- La Cuisine Inc.
- Legal Services of the Virgin Islands Inc
- Liemandt Enterprises Inc.
- LRI Management Inc.
- Magens Bay Concession Inc.
- Mahogany Run Condominium Assoc.
- Mangrove Ventures Inc
- Marjorie Rawls Roberts, PC
- Mcchain Hamm & Eckard LLP
- Metro Motors S C Inc.
- Metro Motors V.I., Inc
- Morgan's Mango of St. John, Inc.
- Mountain Top by Exist
- Mountaineer Enterprises LLC
- My Brother's Workshop, Inc.
- Native Son, Inc.
- North Caribbean Conference of Seventhday Adventist
- Nuts, Bolts, and More, Inc.
- Oneales Trucking and Trailer Transport, Inc
- Palminteri Pets
- Pediatric Care Center LLC
- PG Enterprises, Inc.
- Point Pleasant Rental Pool LLC
- Protouch Communications LLC
- Quality Electric Supply, Inc.
- Real Impact Corporation
- Red Hoo Family Prctice Pc
- Robert a Lynch Trucking Inc
- Roncan, Inc.
- Rue De Chez Reuben, LLC
- Seaside Market & Deli, LLC
- Secret Harbour Beach Resort Associates, LLLP
- Select Temp Staffing
- Serenity Builders Inc.
- Signature Stt, LLC
- Silicone Distributors, Inc.
- St Croix Vision Center Inc.
- St Thomas Restaurant Group LLC
- St. Croix Animal Welfare Center, Inc.
- St. Croix Trading Company, Inc.
- St. Thomas Health Care Management, Inc.
- St. Thomasst. John Seventhday Adventist School
- Stop and Shop Supermarkets LLC
- Stronghouse Construction LLC
- Subbase Drydock Inc.
- Surtep Enterprises, Inc.
- Tamarind Reef Resort and Marina Inc
- Territory East Asset Management LLC
- The Viking Corporation
- Tickles Dockside Pub, LLC
- Tilman Construction, LLC
- TJ Ocean Auto IV LLC
- TJ Ocean Auto V LLC
- Tom Bolt & Associates PC
- Transportation Services for St. John, Inc.
- Tropic View Estates Ltd
- Tropico Management LP
- Turner Consulting and Contracting, LLC
- Tutu Park, Limited
- United Electronic Industries Services LLC
- US Viking LLC
- USVI Opportunity Fund LLC
- Virgin Islands Asphalt Corp.
- Virgin Islands Ear, Nose & Throat, P.C.
- Whitecap Investment Corp.
- XO Bistro LLC
- Yajak Development Corporation
See the full PPP document, including addresses, the number of employees the funds covered and the banks through which they were issued, go here.
Update: July 8, 2020
PSI Tire Supply is Vivot, or Eleven, the construction firm based on St. Croix with a myriad of projects ongoing, including construction work on the legislative building being built on St. Croix near Five Corners in La Grande Princesse. We've updated the story.
